In the dispute over the train drivers' union's upcoming strike, Deutsche Bahn has suffered a defeat. The urgent request was rejected and the appeal had already been announced.
The train drivers' union GDL achieved a stage victory in the collective dispute with Deutsche Bahn. On Monday night, the Frankfurt labor court rejected an urgent request from the company against the strike scheduled for Wednesday to Friday. Deutsche Bahn immediately announced that it would appeal to the Labor Court of the State of Hesse. Deutsche Bahn continues to defend the position that this strike lacks any legal basis.
“This strike lacks legitimacy and basis. In the interests of our customers, we are doing everything we can to prevent it,” Deutsche Bahn said in a statement.
Train drivers' union GDL wants to go on strike in passenger transport from 2am on Wednesday to 6pm on Friday – in a week when German road traffic has already been seriously affected by farmers' protests. Experience shows that, even before the strike, some trains were not running according to plan. Additionally, it usually takes some time for traffic to return to normal.
In the dispute over money and working hours, the GDL wants to strike on passenger rail transport for three days starting on Wednesday. In freight traffic, trains must be stopped from Tuesday night until Friday. The railway considers the strike to be disproportionate after responding to the GDL's demand to reduce shift workers' weekly working hours to 35 hours with full salary compensation with a new offer. The state-owned company offers the option between more vacations and more pay. From the GDL's point of view, this is unacceptable because the railway wants to reduce the salary accordingly if working hours are reduced. (APA/DPA)